Instead of delivering closing remarks at a panel where Tom Brokaw of NBC News, Bob Schieffer of CBS News and George Stephanopoulos of ABC News agreed that election coverage has been pretty fair and tailored around important issues, Rendell said:

“Ladies and gentleman, the coverage of Barack Obama was embarrassing.”

While MSNBC tended to be more like an official network of the Obama campaign than not, suggesting Obama got a free pass—as Rendell did—does nobody any good.

It’s well documented why Sen. Hillary Clinton lost the nomination: The toxic combination of dysfunctional campaign rivalries and a former President-husband who doesn’t understand the Internet records e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Blaming the media is useless because it doesn’t hold anyone responsible. It’s like punching water.

Leadership demands responsibility. Rendell and folks like him would do well to remember who is responsible and who is not.

Clear blue skies in New York City today, about the first time we’ve seen the atmosphere in about two weeks, makes it especially easy to see through what many experts have been hawking as “news” lately.

Sen. Barack Obama is still for ending the Iraq war, despite week long statements from Sen. John McCain saying otherwise. His dual press conferences – the second one required because expert opinion had heads in the sand – did not change his basic principle: opposing an open-ended commitment of occupying and/or pacifying the Iraqi government.

What else has been brewing besides summer thunderstorms… ah yes – the economy. The job loss streak continued for the U.S. economy, with June being the sixth straight lousy month. Welcome graduates!

But that didn’t stop McCain from going to Colombia… to do what I’m not sure. Talking heads said it was news, but I don’t get it other than further proving McCain doesn’t know what’s going on. Ironically, the former POW was upstaged by a John Woo-style badass hostage rescue (ps – it’s coming out, first reported by Swiss radio, that the rescue actually might have been a cover up for ransom payments – McCain metaphor?).

McCain has retooled his campaign, digging into the Rovian toolbox by bringing in Steve Schmidt. All while exclaiming all is well, that this was merely a transition for the general election. The No News-News networks (we’ll cleverly dub them NNN), forgot that McCain’s has been in general election mode since the springtime when they gave him a pass. Meanwhile, the wonkysphere have been all over his pledge to balance the budget. When you have 24 hours of airtime to fill, how can someone not be screaming that this is impossible, and given the circumstances, would cripple the country. Where is Bill Clinton (circa 1994) when you need him?

Speaking of WJC, the media had a wonderful day parsing every word – and there weren’t many – of his statement supporting Obama in the general election. Their phone call was emblematic of this summer election season, and by that I mean, like soap operas. The NNN coverage of that little episode was fantastic.

Obama’s children were interviewed by the muckrakers over at Access Hollywood. The NNN was all over Obama’s perceived regret that the children, ages 10 and 7, were on television. CNN headline: “Obama regrets interview with daughters”. Obama’s point: “I was surprised by the attention it got,” he told NBC Wednesday morning. “Particularly given the way it sort of went around the cable stations,” (emphasis mine).

Also in from the war room at NNN: the Milwaukee Brewers are now thought to have a dynamic pitching rotation that will carry them come playoff time. The Beer Makers have only been to the postseason twice since the club’s inception in 1969. They could be alive in October this year, because the National League is terrible, but not because the Brewers are a contender. They need to hit and figure out a way to stop the Cubs.

And how’s this for a segue: Sen. Joe Lieberman is still taken seriously, a feat so ludicrous given Joe’s track record of distortion. How can he still be considered a source? How do you know what’s meaningful when the news is not newsworthy? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop?

The world may never know.